CD 101 = NURTURING OF MEANINGFUL PARTNERSHIPS Unpacking Community Connections Program further

Let’s have another quick look at the State Wide project known as Community Connections Program (CCP)!  As you will recall from the many previous stories in our e news and social media, Community Connections is a State Government program designed specifically to support community participants connect up with broader social supports. The program recognises that a person’s wellbeing journey is not only about the very specific challenge they are seeing a case worker about – such as homelessness, addiction, anxiety, diabetes, disability, family breakdown – but it is also about the strength of their relationships with their community and broader ecosystem. Something we know only too well!

For this reason, CCP is targeted at those aged generally between 18 and 65 who are not supported by the NDIS, and puts Community Centres and Neighbourhood Houses right smack bang in the middle of the program. Some Centres successfully tendered to be formally funded and part of the program, others are working on strengthening their knowledge and connections with the organisations who are part of it.

And that is a big part of CCSA’s job in this space – to consistently nurture connections and potential alliances between Centres, and other amazing service providers such as RDNS, Uniting Communities, Carers SA, Anglicare, Uniting Country and others.

“With strengthened relationships, partnerships and alliances between us all, the community are the ultimate beneficiaries”.

On the ground, there is plenty happening as a consequence of these nurtured relationships . For example, Marieke from Uniting Communities has booked some Outreach Pop Ups within Mitchell Park Neighbourhood Centre to share the CCP and talk with potential participants.  Uniting Communities and Selena from Anglicare are working with Reynella Neighbourhood Centre, co designing the Onkaparinga Pop-up Social Supermarket to be held in November at the Centre. Baptist Care have supported a individual to establish their own Women’s Conversation Group at their local Community Centre. Royal Life Saving SA are working alongside MCCSA to deliver water safety education to Multicultural communities across the state . Marion LIFE has supported its own community participants to gain further support through CCP, and then through Alcohol and Drug Addiction Support through Life Without Barriers and budgeting support through Uniting Communities. Marion LIFE also is hosting iDrive, which sees CCP participants enrolling in the program to build up their 70 hours of driving.

These, and many other opportunities, are available to all Community Centres around the State. CCSA’s Oli and Jacqui have reached out to about 70 Centres over the last year, but please do touch base with us if you want to explore further. With the nurturing of meaningful partnerships and alliances being a core function of Community Development, the Community Connections program is an ideal conduit to support this goal.

Further Information

Contact CCSA via info@communitycentressa.asn.au or 8371 4622